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Mom tilts her head to the side and her eyebrows bunch together. “Why is that?”
“Because she’s a snake and snakes bite.”
Her hand lands back on my shoulder. “Only the bad ones bite, and I promise you, Neopolo, Scar’s not one of the bad ones.” She squeezes my shoulder gently, before leaning down and kissing my cheek.
Doesn’t matter—a snake is still a snake.
Before standing back up, Mom whispers, “Ya know. Sometimes when a boy is mean to a girl, it means he has a crush on her.”
I cringe, pulling away. “Ew, Mom. I could never have a crush on Scar.”
“Maybe not now. But someday, you might realize you did all along.”
ChapterOne
SCAR
“Dead!”My head shakes in rapid movements, making me feel dizzy. “This can’t be!” Everyone speaks at once, but I don’t process the words hitting my ears. My knees knock as I shiver under the dim lamppost.
Riley holds up the paper, her eyes wide with terror. “Someone please explain this to me, and fast.” She laughs, but the sound is completely void of any humor. “Elias Stanton is expecting me to return to the dance any minute, so I need to know how the fuck I’m holding his death certificate, from two decades ago, in my hand.”
I hold on to Crew’s arm, trying to stop my body from shaking, but I’m unable to mask the crack in my voice. “Riley and I trusted that guy. Who the hell is he?”
“My guess,” Neo pipes up, his hands stuffed in the front pockets of his black denim jeans. “That’s Jeremy Beckett and Kenna Mitchell’s son.” He looks Riley dead in the eye. “You’ve been fucking Jude Beckett.”
Constant shivers skate down my spine, as goosebumps prick every inch of my skin. When my eyes lift to Crew’s, I follow his gaze over my shoulder.
He curls his lip in a snarl, his fists clenched at his sides. “Think fast, fuckers. Ready or not. Here he comes.”
“Play it cool,” Jagger says, patting Crew on the shoulder and stepping through our circle. He passes by me and walks straight for Elias—or whoever the fuck he is.
Riley whispers, “I don’t think I can.” I pull her close until our sides are connected, and my arm is wrapped around her shoulders.
“Thought we made it clear you’re to stay away from our girl,” Jagger sneers at Elias.
“Just coming for my date,” Elias retorts, his eyes on Riley. She doesn’t look at him, just curls under my arm, while fighting back tears.
“It’s okay, babe,” I tell her. “This fucking sucks, but it’s the beginning of the end. Now we know.”
All the tears she was holding back spill out violently. I wrap both arms around her, shielding her face from Elias. Her sobbing breaths are warm and damp as she cries into the sleeve of my dress.
“She’s sad her final cheer season is over.” I raise my voice to Elias. “Just needs some time.”
Crew walks past us, joining Jagger, who’s now spitting venomous words at Elias. He slaps a hand on Elias’s shoulder, steering him back toward the building. “Riley and Scar need a minute alone. She’ll find you when she’s ready to see you.”
Elias sputters and shuffles his feet, but he eventually leaves, like he’s been told to do by two of the three Lawless members. Lifting my eyes, I catch Neo’s, who’s still standing here for reasons unbeknownst to me. He doesn’t say anything, just stands with stiff arms and his hands in his pockets. His expression is blank and his olive eyes appear dark and focused as they rest on mine.
“You can go,” I tell him, hoping he accepts the invitation to leave.
He bites on his bottom lip, eyebrows knitted together. “Can’t leave you alone, so until you two finish this dramatic crying sesh, I’ll be right here watching. Just wish I had some popcorn for the show.”
It’s just like him to downplay the situation. Riley and I just found out a guy we trusted isn’t who he says he is. Not only that, he’s potentially dangerous and likely unhinged. Yet, Neo is treating this information like it’s no big deal—just another day at The Academy in his eyes.
“Fuck off,” I grumble, combing my fingers through Riley’s hair. I’m not usually the consoling type. Don’t really do well when it comes to other people’s emotions, or my own, but Riley is sensitive and trusting and her heart was just broken. For her, I’m sucking it up, and I’ll let her cry as long as she needs to, even with Neo watching and tapping the toe of his shoe impatiently on the concrete sidewalk.
“Wish I could, Scar. Wish I could. But rules are rules and now more than ever, we need to abide by them.”
It’s true that one of the rules for me moving into The Lawless house under the guy’s protection is that I’m not out alone, but Crew made that rule to keep me close. Jagger abided by it because he also wanted to keep me close. But, Neo? He’d love nothing more than to stay as far away from me as possible, so he’s not making a lick of sense right now.
